Hugo Chavez

Cuban President Raul Castro joined other world leaders on Tuesday in extolling the legacy of his brother Fidel — but gave little hint about the future direction of the country.

“Fidel dedicated his whole life to solidarity … with the poor,” said the younger Castro, to whom Fidel Castro ceded power 10 years ago in a seamless transfer of leadership. “And for the poor he became a symbol of the anti-colonial and anti-imperialist fight, for the emancipation and dignity of the people.”

Castro spoke for 13 minutes, providing a subdued ending to a 4½-hour memorial service at Revolution Plaza. In conclusion, Castro...

Related "Hugo Chavez" Articles

Cuban President Raul Castro joined other world leaders on Tuesday in extolling the legacy of his brother Fidel — but gave little hint about the future direction of the country.
“Fidel dedicated his whole life to solidarity … with the poor,” said...

The death of Fidel Castro was long in coming, so world reaction was somber and introspective from foes and friends alike.
One exception came from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who cited the “passing of a brutal dictator” and added that...

Tens of thousands of Venezuelans poured into the streets of the capital, Caracas, and other cities Wednesday to protest the suspension of a campaign to recall President Nicolas Maduro. Supporters of the embattled president held their own show...

In what critics blasted as the latest efforts of an embattled government to quash dissent, Venezuela’s electoral council derailed efforts to recall President Nicolas Maduro, and a judge ordered eight prominent opposition leaders not to leave the...

The election of a former investment banker to the presidency of Peru last month marked a sharp turn from the left to the right in national politics there — and could presage a wider shift in Latin America.
To see how the political winds have blown...

The Obama administration is quietly nudging the Vatican, as well as European and regional allies, to support negotiations aimed at easing the devastating economic and political crisis roiling Venezuela.
Any appearance of direct U.S....

In an impoverished hilltop neighborhood, a dense labyrinth of narrow alleys, mostly shuttered shops and cinder-block homes, residents trudge toward a protruding pipe discharging a trickle of murky water.
Someone has switched on a pump to start the uphill...

Rafael Ortega waited a lifetime for this opportunity, to be in the Angels lineup on nearly a daily basis alongside the likes of Mike Trout and Albert Pujols.
Ortega, a 24-year-old outfielder, had played in only two major league games before this...

Published in Los Angeles Times on May 22, 2016 — Print headline: "Homeland chaos is on minds of Venezuelans"

Seven years ago, in the middle of the night, soldiers burst into the bedroom of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya. Still in his pajamas, the president was forced at gunpoint onto a waiting jet and flown to exile.Then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton...

Published in Los Angeles Times on May 01, 2016 — Print headline: "Honduras coup haunts Clinton - Seven years after condemning the president's ouster, she says his opponents `followed the law.'"

President Obama could have visited any number of countries in South America.
In choosing Argentina, the latest nation to turn away from the socialist leaders who have dominated the continent for the last decade, he is hoping to launch a new era of U.S....

Published in Los Angeles Times on March 23, 2016 — Print headline: "In Argentina, Obama sees shot at resetting relations"

By many measures, things had been going well for Bolivian President Evo Morales.
Since he took office in 2006, the economy has averaged annual growth of 5%, and he has used revenue from mining and natural gas sales to build roads, schools and clinics,...

In its first day with majority power in Venezuela’s legislature, the opposition coalition of parties Tuesday threw down the gauntlet before socialist President Nicolas Maduro, saying it would try to legally remove him from power within six months.
The...

When Venezuela's leftist president, Nicolas Maduro, conceded his party's landslide loss in legislative elections last weekend, he blamed an "economic war" against his oil-rich, cash-strapped nation.
That's code for the United States, longtime...

Published in Los Angeles Times on December 09, 2015 — Print headline: "Venezuela vote presents an opening for the U.S. - Socialists' legislative defeat may lead to friendlier ties between Caracas, Washington."

The opposition's landslide victory in Venezuela's legislative elections has overturned nearly two decades of socialist control of the National Assembly and set the stage for a potential challenge to President Nicolas Maduro.
The landmark elections Sunday...

Published in Los Angeles Times on December 08, 2015 — Print headline: "A socialist revolution unravels - Troubled Venezuela appears to be on a new course after the opposition landslide in elections."

In landmark legislative elections, Venezuelan voters Sunday handed opposition candidates a landslide victory.Early results showed opponents of the long-standing socialist-run government with a 99-to-46 seat advantage in the 167-seat National Assembly,...

Carlos Lopez was about to undergo liver transplant surgery earlier this year when his doctors abruptly called off the procedure: Venezuela lacked the necessary postoperative drugs to keep his body from rejecting the new organ, they told him.
"I...

Published in Los Angeles Times on December 06, 2015 — Print headline: "Venezuelans ready for a change - Because of a soaring misery index, the opposition is expected to prevail in Sunday's national elections."

She's been stripped of her Assembly seat, physically attacked on the floor of Congress by loyalists of late President Hugo Chavez and criticized by some of her allies in the opposition movement for being too confrontational.
But as Venezuelans prepare to...

Published in Los Angeles Times on December 05, 2015 — Print headline: "She's an anti-Chavista force - Venezuela's most vital opposition leader may be one not on the ballot - BACK STORY"